I is about the AK 47. What else would it be about? What can I say other than that everybody needs an AK 47. Not the most accurate rifle in the world, but acceptible. Not the most powerful, but still deadly. And ease-of-use is still why it is the most popular assault rifle in the world today. As VDH puts it:
The AK-47 has succeeded so wildly because it is almost an ideal realization of the personal firearm: where most weapons have had to contend with tradeoffs between accuracy, lethality, speed of fire, reliability, cost of production, and ease of carrying and use, the AK-47 managed to find a sweet spot maximizing these traits. In fact, the weapon is so reliable, effective, and easy to use by untrained operators that its advent made it widely possible for just about any group, even with little money, modern technology, or formal military training, to mount significant, deadly assaults against a much larger and more advanced force — a fact that has transformed the face of warfare and created a revolutionary romance that still surrounds the weapon.
As they say, Read the whole thing. It is a nice little summation of the history of the rifle, and the AK 47’s place at the top of the heap when it comes to military small arms.
Of course, not everyone is a fan. The Left are perhaps the most prolific users of the AK 47, but that doesn’t stop the gun controllers from waxing indignant about the weapon’s existance. Naturally, they try to do something stupid about it:
Social entrepreneurs are doing some pretty amazing things these days, with many taking unconventional and even daring steps to get the word out about their cause.
Among them is Peter Thum, CEO and co-founder of Fonderie 47. Thum’s organization helps fund the removal of illegal assault rifles in Africa – in part by selling high-end, custom jewelry made from AK-47s.
Yes, you read that right: The company makes luxury rings, earrings and cufflinks from the very weapon it aims to destroy.
[snip]
Thum and Zapolski got to work, forming Fonderie 47 and using private donations to support the Mines Advisory Group [MAG], a non-governmental organization that destroys weapons in conflict-ridden countries.Though Fonderie 47 is only just putting itself on the public’s radar, Thum says the company’s support of MAG has already led to the destruction of more than 6,000 assault rifles. He is confident the company will continue to raise more toward the cause, through both donations and jewelry sales.
“I think that the potential for us to generate funds from the company we have founded is significant and in the millions,” he says.
[snip]
One of the most intriguing aspects of the collection is that the sale of each piece is tied to a specific number of weapons destroyed. For instance, a $25,600 ring will enable the destruction of 75 assault rifles; a set of $35,000 cufflinks will lead to the destruction of 100 assault rifles.The steel used in every piece comes from actual AK-47s seized in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thum sees the transformation of a weapon into “wearable art” as a representation of the bad-to-good transformation that needs to happen in Africa.
You heard that right. They take a $600 assault rifle and destroy it, and make $35,000 cuff-links out of it. Nice gig, if you can get it, I guess, but wouldn’t that money be better spent, I dunno, maybe buying food for these people? At the end of the day, destroying a few rifles may make them feel better about themselves, but it does nothijng about the tribalism and poverty that are actually fueling these conflicts. It merely creates an expensive trinket for rich libreals to wear and preen to other rich liberals about how much they have done to save the planet. *spit*
